Purification of alcoholic liquids.



NITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

MARIE JEAN DE OHANTERAO, OF PARIS, AND MARIE JOSEPH DENIS ALEXANDRE DELA BAUME, OF TOURTOUR, FRANCE, ASSIGNORS TO LA SOOIETE OIVILE POURLEXPLOITATION DE BREVETS DINVEN- TION OONOERNANT LINDUSTRIE DE LALOOOL,OF PARIS, FRANCE.

PURIFICATION OF ALCOHOLIC LIQUIDS.

$PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 645,940, dated March2'7, 1900.

Application filed January 3,1898 Serial No. 665 ,460. (No specimens.)

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, MARIE JEAN DE CHAN- TERAC, residing at Paris, andMARIE JOSEPH DENIS ALEXANDRE DE LA BAUME, residing at Tourtour, Var,France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in thePurification of Alcoholic Liquids, (for which we have obtained FrenchPatent No. 269,372, dated August 6, 1897,) which are fully set forth inthe following specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the purification of alcoholicliquids.

With the ordinary method of treating alcoholic liquids, in spite of allthe improvements which the apparatus has undergone, only a greater orless proportion of alcohol which is pure and of good flavor is obtained;but this proportion is insufficient. A process patented by MessieursRosseau, de la Baume, and de Ohantrac (see United States Letters PatentNo. 470,447, dated March 8, 1892) and based upon the exclusiveemployment of tartrates and hyposulfites, with the object of eliminatingsubstances having a bad flavor, has already enabled this defect to beovercome. This process is capable of being still further improvedwithout modifying the usual plant of factories. In fact, addition oftartrates and hyposulfites performs a double ofiice in the process towhich we have just referredfirst, to neutralize the alcoholic liquid,and, second, to effect a combination of the reagents with theill-flavored bodies for the purpose of giving compounds which may bereadily eliminated by the process of rectification.

This invention relates to a process for the purification of alcohol andalcoholic liquids characterized by the employment of a suitable alkalinesubstance in conjunction with tartrates and hyposulfites, the employmentof these substances being effected in such a manner that theneutralization is performed by the alkaline substance, which is very lowin price, while the elimination of the ill-flavored substances iseffected by the combination of these substances with the added tartratesand hyposulfites.

By way of example we will now indicate the method by means of which,given an alcoper hectoliter of absolute alcohol.

,holic liquid of any kind, the relative quantities of alkaline bodies,of tartrate, and of hy posulfite which are capable of acting in the mosteflicacious manner possible may be calculated;

In order, first of all, to ascertain the quan tity of the alkalinesubstance which it is nec essary to employ, we make use of the wellknown method of determining the amount of acids present (after thecarbonic acid has been expelled) by a normal solution, or pref erably,for greater exactitude, a one-tenth normal solution, of soda,employingas an indicator phenol phthalein. It is in accordance with thisindication that the acid in the alcoholic liquid to be treated isneutralized. This first indication having been obtained, we deduce fromit the quantities of tartrate and hyposulfite necessary for theelimination of the illrflavored substances.

We will suppose, by way of example, that an alcoholic liquid containsthirty grams of a mixture of acids expressed in acetic acid If we alsosuppose that the alkaline substance employed is carbonate of soda, weshall require, in order to saturate thirty grams, 26.5 grams NaOO Underthese conditions we should employ twice this weight of double tartrateof potash and of soda (Rochelle salts) and one-half this weight ofhyposulfite of soda. It will be understood that we may cause theserelative proportions to vary according to the nature of thealcoholicliquid, and we only give them as a general guide. extremelyrare to meet with two products of commercial fermentation identical inconsti= tution. In addition to this in most cases when the aciditytested is either above or below the ordinary average of fermentedliquids the proportion of the tartrate and of the hyposulfite withregard to the alkaline substance will vary sensibly in inverse ratio tosuch acidity. After the reagents named dissolved in water are broughtinto contact with the alcoholic liquids the operations of distillationand rectification may be proceeded with in the apparatus usual in theindustry.

Our novel process of purification, the cost of It is in fact which isvery small, has in addition the following advantages as regards theprocess above referred to: first, reduction of labor, since no stirringis necessary, and, second, economy in the substance, on the one hand, bythe substitution of an inexpensive alkaline substance for a portion ofthe more expensive reagents (the tartrate and hyposulfite) hithertoemployed, and, on the other hand, by preventing loss which may resultfrom decantation or filtration, such operation not being necessary, andeconomy in the operation of the plant, since the charging-troughs neednot be moved for what is sometimes a considerable time, contact of theliquids without agitation being sufficient.

The process does not therefore require any special plant, and theinstallation may be effected Very speedily and with great case.

All non-acid tartrates may be employed for the purification of alcohols.Ve, however, prefer to use tartrates of potash and of soda, moreespecially the double tartrate known by the name of Rochelle salts.Among hyposulfites those of soda and of baryta have yielded excellentresults.

Having now particularlydescribed and as- MARIE JEAN DE OHANTERAC. MARIEJOSEPH DENIS ALEXANDRE DE LA BAUMl'l.

Vitnesses as to signature of Marie Jean de Chantrac:

ANTOINE ROUSSAUNES, EDWARD P. MAcLEAN. Witnesses as to signature ofMarie Joseph Denis Alexandre de la Baume:

JosEPH KEONGE, EMILE MAZARD.

